


Back to You

by sailorsephone



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, Romance, cough cough reunion, i just want my babies to have some quality time together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24611710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorsephone/pseuds/sailorsephone
Summary: Set in the universe of the remake. Cloud finds his way back home.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Kudos: 26





	Back to You

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Posting on my birthday? It's more likely than you think.  
> Hello everyone! This has been sitting in my little folder for literally months now. I've rewritten it a few times to get it where I want it and I think it's coming together nicely. Not sure how many chapters I’m going to do yet, though but I’ll figure it out! I've never written something chaptered before, so please bear with me in updates and so on. I hope you all enjoy it.  
> -Sephone

The motorcycle roared as its engine was revved to the maximum limit. It swiftly drifted around tight corners and along winding backroads. He was almost out of Sector 6 when out of his left peripheral he caught a glimpse of something moving in the distance. He kept his guard up as he pushed forward. He had already collected the money from the job, so now it was just backtracking to Sector 7 for the night. When he rounded a corner past some old military debris, what he’d seen just moments ago sprung up out of the wreckage and came right for him. Swiftly lifting the large buster sword off his back, he proceeded to slash at the creature to deter it. The winged beast dove after him over and over again with him slicing through the air at it. As he turned to dodge a pile of metal, the creature swooped low, just low enough for him to slice it down the middle. The blade sliced the flesh through, and the beast fell with a haunting screech. Its body, now in two, collapsed with a thud on the ground. He let out a sigh and returned his sword to its place on his back, and walked over to examine the creature. Upon approaching it, he covered his nose and gagged due to the acrid odor that was expelled from the creature. Breathing in through his gloved covered hand, he knelt down to gather items that may be worth value like teeth, claws, or scales. When he turned one half of the creature over though, a pungent green cloud of noxious fumes discharged from the creature and floated around him. He uncovered his mouth to swat the fog away, inhaling some of it in the process and coughing. He rose back up and left the carcass, returning to his bike to continue his journey back to his destination.

When he got past the Sector 7 gates, his body began to feel strange. His vision was going in and out, he was getting hot and chills were running through his body. The tingling in his fingers made it difficult to control the motorcycle, and soon he was swerving through the passageway that led him into the main crossroads of Sector 7. As the streetlights came into view, he was getting worse by the second. He felt his heart rate pick up and beads of sweat began to drip down his face. The bike came to a stop just before the main thoroughfare, and he parked it in front of a large building. He didn’t have the strength to operate it nor the focus. Stumbling his way off the bike, he approached the stairs that led up to the two large doors. One foot at a time, he agonizingly made it up the stairs, gripping the handrail for dear life. When he made it to the door, he all but slammed his hand against the door to brace himself as his vision went blurry and he collapsed.

The bar had just closed and the woman inside was tending to the closing procedures. She had locked the entry doors, closed and sealed the windows, and made sure to turn off the jukebox and pinball machines. Next, she began clearing tables and washing dishes she hadn’t gotten to. Picking up glasses and silverware as she walked, she made her way behind the sturdy wooden bar and began to wash the small pile of dishes. The water was just hot enough to where it wouldn’t burn, but it would take care of any particles of food left behind. Once the dishes were cleaned and set on the rack to dry, she grabbed a rag and some cleaner that was under the sink and began to wipe down the bar. She straightened the bar stools and pushed them under as she came around. With closing finished, she dusted off her skirt and slid her hands together dusting them off as well. She was about to turn out the lights when she heard a dull thud just outside the entry doors.

She attuned her ears toward the door and listened for any movement before slowly approaching them. With caution, she tiptoed and placed her hand on the handle and ear up to the door. She heard ragged breathing and then another thud. Whoever or whatever was outside sounded like they were in pain. Hesitantly unlocking the door to check on whatever it was, she gradually opened the door and looked at the person in front of her. The first thing she noticed was the giant sword attached to the person’s back. She gently stepped over it and to the side where the person’s face was. As she rolled him over to get a better look at him she gasped, both hands coming to her mouth in the realization of who it was.

_Cloud._

Her heart skipped a beat as he lay there before her. She was frozen. Carefully, one of her hands pushed the hair that was sticking to his forehead up to get a better look at him. His face was hot and there was sweat beading up and dripping down his forehead. The back of her hand found its way to his forehead as he groaned. He was unwell. Before anything else, she knew she needed to get him inside. The sword would just get in the way, so she took it off and leaned it against the wall inside, and came back for Cloud. Her hand lightly tapped his cheek as she said his name, hoping to get a response. His eyes fluttered open, but he looked dazed. “Can you stand?” The man slowly nodded his head, and the woman helped him up, locking her hand around his waist and slinging his other around her shoulders. She grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it in along with them and let it rest against the wall next to the door. Bit by bit, they made it across the barroom floor, and to the staircase that led up to the living quarters. She coached him as he tried to lift his feet to go up the stairs. He was so out of it he could barely move. When they made it to the landing, she directed him to the room beside hers, a guest room. There, she eased him into sitting on the bed and swung his feet up. As he laid there, he was mumbling, and his expression was one of discomfort. The woman moved quickly to remove his boots, shirt, and leather belt and suspenders. She turned on the fan in the room to get some cool air circulating, and when it finally hit his now exposed chest, he felt some relief. She made her way down the stairs into the kitchen to fill a bowl with cool water and get a rag from the laundry room. When she got back up the stairs, Cloud was more or less sleeping. He wasn’t mumbling much, but he had a look of discomfort as his brows knitted together. She sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his chest feeling his heart. It was beating fast. She dipped the rag into the cool water, wrung it out, folded it, and placed it on his forehead. At the sensation of the cool rag, he let out a sigh and seemed to relax slightly. She returned the rag into the cool water, wrung it out, and this time set to patting his upper body so he could cool down. The combination of the cool water on his skin and the breeze from the fan had made the heat within him and around him begin to dissipate.

After spending a few minutes cooling him down, the water in the bowl had grown lukewarm and she returned the rag to it. As he lay there sleeping, she couldn’t help but let a few tears escape. She thought she’d never seen him again. The young boy who left the village had come back to her, but she didn’t want it to be like this. Her crimson eyes scanned his face, noticing how he’d matured over the years. His hair was still that golden straw color, except now it was cut shorter than he’d had it when they were younger. Her hand found his and simply held it, feeling the weight of it in her hands. Little scratches and scars could be found on his knuckles and on the top of his hand. The warmth from their hands together had warmed her own that had grown cold from handling the cold rag. After she listened to the soft sounds of him breathing in and out, she stood up and was about to let go before feeling his fingers ever so slightly close around hers. He mumbled something and loosened his grip, hand settling softly on the blanket beside him. Slowly, she reached for the blanket and pulled it up over his chest. Before she turned to leave, she leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on his temple. The lamp on the table went out, plunging the room into darkness save for the dim light that spilled in from the neon signs outside. She quietly walked to the door, making sure to close it gently as she let the man rest.

Once in her own bed, she found herself feeling overcome with a multitude of emotions. Her wine-colored eyes searched the ceiling, looking for answers. Where had he been? What had he done? In her head, she’d always imagined him following his dream and coming back to her, to show her what he’d accomplished. When he left all those years ago, part of her also feared that she’d never see him again. That he would be consumed by the world around him and forget her. Her head sunk into the pillow as she thought about everything. Her eyes traveled to the photo on her desk. It was crumpled and burned at the edges, but it helped to calm her. Knowing that shy boy who’d barely talk to her was just a few feet away made her smile as she turned over and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.

Cloud opened his eyes slowly, blinking as they adjusted to the light pouring into the room from the small window above the nightstand. He weakly lifted a hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he let a small yawn escape. His body felt heavy and hot like he’d been hit by a truck. The way his entire body felt like it was being steamed in a sauna made him uncomfortable. The events of the night before were fuzzy His eyes scanned the room and noticed that he was in a room he wasn’t familiar with. The softness of the sheets told him that he didn’t spend the night on the front steps which he was grateful for. He’d had his fair share of hard surfaces to sleep on and this bed was top on the list of most comfortable places he’d slept in a long while. Whatever that stuff was the creature let go last night did a number on him. Sighing, he did his best to sit up, using his arms as leverage to help him lean against the headboard. In most situations, he’d scope out his surroundings just to see where he was, but for right now it was all he could do to just sit there. The first thing he noticed that his sword was nowhere to be found which made him slightly nervous. The second thing was that his clothes were also not in the room, save for his boots that were on the floor by the door. It made him curious for a second before he figured that whoever took him in must have taken them to wash them or something. He was just glad his pants were still on.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been sick like this before, or even remotely close to it. Most of his ailments as a child were just small colds that went away within a couple of days or the usual allergies, but they never drained him as he felt now. It was just taking so much energy to move that it was easier to be still, which was welcomed after all he’d done the past couple of days. Constantly going out on jobs one after the other was taxing on the body, and it was beginning to make itself known. The way his muscles ached and all the small scratches and scrapes that would soon turn into scars were the telltale signs that he’d been going nonstop for a while now. Perhaps this was the Planet’s way of telling him to take some needed time off. He inhaled as the door to the room opened and his eyes grew wide. That smile was still the same gentle one that she had when they were kids. Crimson eyes met his own and he could have sworn he saw them sparkle. Her hair was longer now, held together with a thick leather band near the base. She approached the side of the bed and the long ponytail swung back and forth as she walked. When she was at his side, she sat on the edge of the bed and gave him a small smile. It took a few moments before he uttered, “Tifa?” The woman nodded and set her hand on top of his, “How are you feeling?” Before he could answer, her hand found its way onto his forehead to check his temperature. “You’re still pretty hot. Are you hungry?” At the mention of food, his eyes perked up and he shook his head rather quickly. It had been weeks since he’d had something besides quick bites to eat here and there. The sound of a home-cooked meal made his mouth water. Before he sprung out of bed though, he peered up at Tifa, “Could I take a shower first?” Tifa nodded and helped him out of bed. He still felt weak but was strong enough with Tifa’s support to make it to the bathroom. When they got in, she got a towel from the closet and laid it on the counter. She asked if he needed anything else, and when he said he was fine, she accepted and closed the door to give him privacy.

As Cloud stepped into the shower, the warm water cascaded down his body, over his tight muscles and aching arms. The water was a welcome relief after many nights of sleeping in sweaty clothes and few actual showers. He turned the knob more to the left increasing the temperature slightly so that steam began to flow over the curtain and fill the room. The first few minutes of his shower he simply stood there and let the water wash away the sweat, blood, and whatever else had clung to his body from his jobs as a merc. Money was good, but constantly going back and forth fighting beasts and roughing people up wore him out to the point where he’d just collapse on the bed at a rundown inn he’d find. The beds there weren’t nearly as comfortable as the one he woke up in this morning that was for sure. Grabbing the bar of soap, he rubbed it against the rag to create some suds and went to work scrubbing any dirt that had remained stuck off. He wrung out the rag to get all of the soap out, and then placed it on the rack next to him. Stepping forward slightly, he dipped his head under the water, letting it soak through his hair. He washed his hair and rinsed it, pushing it back out of his eyes as he turned the shower off and stepped out, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around his waist.

Cerulean eyes stared back at him from his reflection in the mirror. He still felt terrible, but at least now he was clean. Sighing, he looked on the counter and found some clothes that he didn’t remember seeing before Tifa had left. ‘Must have snuck them in’, he thought. It was a simple pair of grey jogging pants and a navy sweatshirt with a band name he’d never heard of on it. He slipped on the clothes and let the softness envelop him as he placed the towel on the back of the door to dry. He walked out the door and padded down the stairs, hearing the sounds of Tifa dilly-dallying around the kitchen. When he entered the space, Tifa seemed to sense his presence as she turned around to face him. “Feeling better?” With a grunt, he found his place on one of the bar stools and rested his arms on the counter. Tifa slid a plate in front of him along with a fork and knife. On the plate was a stack of pancakes, some eggs, and bacon. She slid a glass along the bar, and it stopped right before his plate, pouring some water for him. He eagerly dug into his food, savoring the sweetness from the pancakes and the crispiness of the bacon. Tifa chuckled, bringing him out of his daze, “Is it that good?” Mouth full of food, he shook his head and drank some water, “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve had food this good.” A small blush crept its way onto Tifa’s cheeks. Sure, most people said she had great cooking, but hearing it from Cloud was different. They shared smiles as they ate together, having small conversation here and there. It was comfortable even after not spending time with each other for years. It’s like they’d picked up where they left off. But, to Tifa, something wasn’t adding up. She stashed that thought back in her mind though to focus on the here and now. They could talk about it later.


End file.
